“El Gato” and “El Tigre” are two of the most renowned nicknames in the history of American handball.

The former is a considered by many to be the greatest handball player of all time. Deceptive quickness and a catlike, aggressive style of play helped El Gato ascend to the top of the U.S. Handball Association in the 1980s. He won 63 tournaments, including 11 national four-wall singles titles, over the course of his professional career, making him the winningest player in the history of the USHA.

Off the court, he was Naty Alvarado, a gentle and compassionate husband and father. When he was 17, Alvarado and his wife Lupe welcomed their second child, a son, whom the couple named Naty Alvarado Jr.

In 1979, the 23-year-old Alvarado Sr. moved his family to the High Desert.

“I had the opportunity to purchase a home in Hesperia for my family,” he said. “Moving here helped me tremendously with training purposes.”

Alvarado Sr. and his wife settled in Hesperia, where he trained for tournaments and helped raise his family.

As a young boy, Alvarado Jr. spent much of his time playing recreational sports in Hesperia, but frequently traveled to watch his father play in tournaments in Oregon, Nevada and Arizona.

“He played baseball and soccer at a young age, but when he wanted to play handball, he started,” Alvarado Sr. said. “His mother and I encouraged him but didn’t push him to play handball. We wanted it to be his decision to play.”

Ultimately, Alvarado Jr. decided to follow in his father’s illustrious footsteps and began playing competitive handball.

“My dad never asked me to play or forced me to play,” Alvarado Jr. said. “I remember one thing he said was, ‘If you really want to do something and if you’re committed to it, I’ll help you however I can.’ That became my philosophy with my own family.”

Alvarado Jr. joined the professional tour just after his 18th birthday, and shortly thereafter, he was given the nickname “El Tigre” because of his profound quickness and athleticism.

Alvarado Jr. had great success over the course of his pro career. Since 1992, Alvarado Jr. has been ranked among the top four handball players in the United States. He won his first pro national doubles title when he was 18 years old, and he became the No. 1-ranked player on the pro tour in 2000.

“Handball to this day is not a money-making sport,” Alvarado Jr. said. “But as I developed as a player, I started traveling for tournaments and seeing every city you could think of.”

Though he is now 40, El Tigre continued his success on the pro tour last season. As he aged, he was able to compete with younger men because of his constant dedication to training and maintaining a strong physical condition. He was ranked No. 4 on the tour last year.

In May, Alvarado Jr. played in his last tournament before retiring from the pro handball circuit. Though he has not completely ruled out competing in a recently established senior tour, he looks forward to relaxing.

“I want to take a nice break and play a lot of golf,” Alvarado Jr. said.

Though he takes pride in his son’s handball success, Alvarado Sr. has more admiration for his son off the court.

“My whole family is very proud of Naty Jr.’s career,” Alvarado Sr. said. “He was one of the best players out there, yet he is a better son, father and husband than he ever was a handball player.”